Student leaders play an essential role in keeping life on campus more united, fun and focused on our mission. KhaiKhai Cin, a current Master of Divinity student and president of the Andrews University Myanmar Student Association (AUMSA), is one such leader. AUMSA is a club that he and several other students, advisors and supporters launched this year. Its main function has been to create a supporting environment for students from Myanmar and club members by involving them in social and ministry activities, which he is extremely passionate about.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What does your role as the president of the club look like?
What I do is basically cast a vision for our ministry, work with our team of leaders–we have about nine of us in our executive committee team and are supported by our advisors–collaborate with them, and delegate each of our team members. So, in many instances, I serve as the liaison between the entities that we work with, partner with, create fundraising opportunities or networking opportunities and speak with donors and things of that sort. These partners/entities include private donors and organizations like churches. I also create opportunities for us to minister or collaborate with different organizations, which are currently mostly from churches in the area, as well as potential ministry partners here in the surrounding communities on campus.
What is the goal of this organization?
Our organization’s aim is to create a sense of belonging for our Myanmar students here at Andrews who are pursuing an Adventist, Christian education, and the same for our club members. So, in a nutshell, our key objectives are as follows:
- Advocating for the needs of Myanmar students here on campus.
- Fostering a supportive, educational and spiritual environment.
- Connecting and ministering with local Myanmar refugee and immigrant communities. This would include churches and maybe even organizations outside of [the] church, which we want to [do]. So, instead of just saying church, by using the wording communities, it can be a church or a non-profit organization that we want to work with/partner with to help and minister to the refugee and immigrant communities from Myanmar.
- Facilitating cultural integration. This is really important for immigrants since many here on campus are from a diverse community. We are the most diverse university here in North America. As such, how can we facilitate the integration of our culture and the culture of others here on campus?
- Celebrating Myanmar's diverse heritage. We come from a very diverse ethnic composition. The country of Myanmar has 135 dialects, but they should actually be called languages since many of those are very different, so that brings very different dynamics. So, the idea of us coming under the umbrella of the country is to be more inclusive of the diverse communities.
How does AUMSA serve its community?
One of our service opportunities is our mission Sabbaths, where we serve the community but also involve our students here on campus to be part of ministry, so that they can get experience and hone their skills. The more you practice that skill, the more you preach, the better you become. The more you share your testimony, the better you become at sharing it. The more you sharpen or use your knife, the sharper it becomes. So, that’s why we want to engage our members and students who want to be part of these mission sabbaths to sign up and join us. Of course, it’s a volunteer service, but that's what God calls us for. He doesn't really demand us saying, “Hey, you must have a Ph.D. to serve.” No, right now, with no degree, you can come with a heart that is willing that says, “Let's serve, let's eat, let's celebrate, let's rub shoulders, let's sweat together, and serve our communities with the love of Jesus.” That's what I'm really passionate about.
What has your overall experience as an Andrews University student been so far, and how does it tie into your current role that we have been discussing?
I did my undergrad here, so I know the campus and I came back in 2022, which was really fun. So, with that, coming home was fun, getting to see a couple [of] friends around here and seeing new students and new faces on the campus. So, my experience overall is pretty positive. I love Andrews University. It's my school. I love my experience here connecting with so many different people, whether it be in the graduate program or undergraduate program, during school or outside of school. I really enjoy my time connecting with people and also the opportunity to serve the communities here.
The main target that KhaiKhai is aiming for is the Myanmar refugee and immigrant communities around the Lake Union Conference, but he has hope that with God’s help, they can continue to expand their outreach. Since this is volunteer work, there is no steady source of income supporting this mission. The only income he has gained for these projects has been through people who supported the vision.
“The secret is to cast the vision, and people will buy that vision and support it,” he said, “but it has to come from the Lord. It shouldn’t be selfish. It should be for the glory of God. When people see that, they want to be part of it.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.